Gone, Fading, Everything
by Gently
Summary: An unintentionally provoked cataclysm vaults Ursula into a dead world. Can the unwilling Harbinger of Destruction become the Instrument of Salvation?


**Disclaimer:  Breath of Fire IV – the game, its characters, locations, and other points of mythological reference – is the strict copyright of Capcom.  This story was written with specifically entertainment and recreational purposes in mind, and was not meant to be in any way, shape or form a challenge against that copyright.  It's just for fun.  So please don't sue me.  It's just for fun.  Honest.  Really, I swear.  HONEST!**

**Author's Notes:  It should be noted that this story is expressly written for Breath of Fire IV.  There will be no inclusion of any of the other BoF games in this entire story, and it will be taking place post-game.  What that means, essentially, is that if you have yet to play and beat Breath of Fire 4, I suggest you don't read this, as it will be rife with spoilers.  Unless you're the kind of person who doesn't care about that sort of thing, in which case, read on and destroy the ending for yourself.  ^_^  This story will almost exclusively be centered around my favorite character from the entire BoF series, Ursula.  So if you hate Ursula or something (you bitter ass, you), do yourself a favor and not read this.  I guess it'd be fair to note that I was pretty inspired by the song "And All That Could Have Been" by Nine Inch Nails for this story.  Anyone familiar with that song can relate the general sorrowful atmosphere contained within, and I promise that I will try to emulate it.  In other words, this will be kind of angsty and dark and shit.  So if you don't like that sort of thing, don't read it, okay?  I think that pretty much sums everything up… well, here we go.  Enjoy!**

**A Breath of Fire IV Fan Fiction**

**GONE, FADING, EVERYTHING**

**Chapter, the First**

**"Before Twilight"**

Opening Theme:  **Exceeding Love, from Suikoden III**

            The crystalline spire of magically enhanced metal struck the earth in rapid succession, cracking the brittle stone underneath its overpowering aggression.  Obscure copper dust filtered into the air as a fading reminiscence of the stone that had once stood proud.  Again the hammering metal smashed into the earth, causing more of the natural rock to crumble and decay, feeding into a further recess of the small cavity of stone.

            _It is here.  They come.  At last._

            The large machine that powered the massive spike which drilled into the earth shook violently as it met resistance against the stone.  The cacophony of power that shuddered from the metal on stone clash rang true, almost deafening anyone who was near.  Several soldiers stood with their hands over their ears around the cavity which was being dug, watching anxiously.  The sky overhead was cloudy and the air was cold, a mixture that promised snow to fall in the not too distant future.  Warm gloves could be seen on all of the soldiers present, even those that operated the massive mechanical device.

            _It is now.  The cycle is about to begin.  I will be awakened.  I will be here for them._

            Around the miniature excavation site were walls of stone and architecture.  The desecrated city that surrounded the pillage site was what remained of Chedo, and those that were digging and building were soldiers of the once great Fou Empire.  A massive wall of unfinished stone and brick that lay adjacent to the digging location would indicate that the soldiers were preparing to lay a stone foundation within the ground for a large building that was to be constructed.

_I am… I am here.  She will come to me.  I will come to me._

            Sprawled in almost every direction was construction.  Everything was ravaged and torn, with nothing other than the people left to care for them.  Soldiers and peasants alike were joined in an effort to rebuild the Capital of their Empire.  It was almost a form of catharsis, one could argue.  Being torn down to their foundation for their sins, but now in the act of restoration, they would see what really made their Empire strong.  The people.

            _Come… to… me… my Messiah…_

            A large shout rang out as the massive spike crashed into something that was clearly not made of stone.  The thick thudding accentuation that came with frivolous drilling into the ground was replaced with a large metallic reverberation, insinuating that the crystalline spike had made contact with something other than earth.  Soldiers scrambled to turn the machine off, and quickly examine what it was that they had made contact with.

            "Alright, alright, calm down," a wise voice spoke.  The voice belonged to a seasoned war Lieutenant, named Ling.  Ling was an older, yet soft spoken man.  "Let's handle this rationally, people.  Get the shovels," he instructed.

            Various soldiers and some peasants quickly ran to grab the necessary materials while Ling stood at the lip of the small crater, peering down at where the spike had made contact with something metallic.  "Raise the spike," he called over to the men operating the machine.  "And do it slowly.  You don't want to risk further damage to whatever it is that's in there."

            "Yes, sir!"

            Ling stroked his chin in thought.  He could tell that his men were tired, as they had been outside in the freezing cold for the totality of the day.  However, none had complained, as all had seemed more than ready to complete the task at hand.  This was all the warmth the old man needed to continue his work on the restoration.  "Alright, let's take a look."

            Ling and several other soldiers armed with shovels carefully slid down into the small crater.  Their boots caused stray rocks and pebbles to be jarred loose from their temporary resting places, and sent them tumbling down towards the epicenter of the strange find.  Onlookers who had not been involved in the dig initially were now gathering around the edge of the crater, peering in out of curiosity.

            Ling rubbed his ears absently as he walked over to a small, black hump in the stone.  The black singularity, due to its sleek opaque splendor, was obviously made of some form of metal.  As to what kind, that was still open for interpretation.  Ling kneeled down next to the small black outcropping, and gently reached out with a gloved hand to clear some of the dust from it.  The metal was smooth, and surprisingly warm to the touch.  Nothing could be told other than that, however.

            Ling stood, and nodded to his men.  "Dig."

            "Yes, sir," they replied in unison, as they all began to attack the soft earth surrounding the metal.  It was obvious from the tone that they replied in that they were somewhat eager to discover what was underneath their Capital.

            _The day is here.  At last… at last I can be safe._

            Ling stroked his chin as he watched his men work through narrow eyes, being careful to mentally record as many details of this exact instant as he could.  He had no idea what the significance was to finding whatever it was, but if it was important, he wanted to be sure that the Empire would reap the benefits.  Although, he suspected, it was merely some form of corroded metal object that had been lost since the early days around or before Fou Lu.

            As the men worked, the crowd at the mouth of the crater grew.  Soldiers rested on shovels, men and women gathered together, clumping to maintain as much body heat in the cold as they could, while still getting an adequate view of the happenings.  The air was a swath of eddying breath as the people excitedly breathed in and out, their breath swirling in front of their mouths like a thin vapor.

            Ling's eyes widened once the structure became more visible after his men had dug for several minutes.  He wasn't certain at this time, but this might not have been the mere stray metallic object that he had once thought it might have been.  In fact, it could be much more than that.

            "Okay," his soft voice stopping his soldiers immediately.  "That's enough.  Let's have a look, shall we?"

            His men stepped back as Ling sauntered over to the now exposed black surface.  It was what appeared to be a fallen monolith, or ancient obelisk, buried underneath years of rock.  As to why it was there, that was the real mystery.  Ling knelt down slowly, feeling his age catch up on him underneath the excitement and the cold air.  Taking in and releasing a long breath, he began to run his hand across the surface of the large obelisk.  Beautiful archaic glyphs were seamlessly chiseled into the exquisite metal, but in a language that Ling couldn't discern.

            Ling stood, and let out another breath, this one of confusion.  He tapped his foot as he pondered what to make of all of this.  As he did, one of his fellow soldiers walked over to him with a shovel slung over his shoulder.

            _Now it's time…_

            "Sir?" the man asked, his face rosy red with the chill of working outdoors all day.  "What do you think?"

            Ling continued to tap his foot.  "Hmm…"

            _…for the world to die._

            Ling shrugged, and faced the curious soldier as other people were watching them with similar interest.  "I guess all we can do for now is report this to the Captain."

*          *          *

            Ursula smiled contentedly to herself as she gazed wistfully out the window.  The snow was gracefully descending down from the cloudy sky above, promising a cool, serene blanket of natural beauty forthcoming.  She sat quietly by herself with her calves folded underneath her by the window, in front of a small table.  On the table were a small vial of steamed tea and a whickered circular coaster.  She held a single cup of tea in her lap as she gazed out the window, content with simply letting the hot liquid cool gradually from the touch of the tepid room temperature air.  The cup was hot to the touch, but the contrast with the cool atmosphere outside somehow made the green broth comforting as opposed to scalding.

            It was all starting over.  Ever since her long journey with her strangely acquainted friends from the Alliance and the second half of the Yorae Dragon, Ursula had returned to help rebuild what was left of the once proud Fou Empire.  After Fou Lu had gone on his supernatural rampage that had been entirely provoked for needless reasons, the Empire was left in a state of disarray and near desolation.  Only by putting aside their various differences and working hard as a single race of people would the Fou Empire ever be allowed to be restored to it's once former glory.

            And Ursula was going to be there, every step of the way, to make sure that there would be no deviations from such a noble path.

            Ursula felt a soft, warming feel of nostalgia seep into her as she looked down at the streets of Chedo as they were being continuously constructed. _"Who would've thought that we would've become so selfish?  To harness the power of the Gods… Pfft.  Nonsense.  We need not Gods, or Endless.  We simply need the love of our own country.  That is true strength.  That is divine providence."_

            As Ursula thought for a moment about her personal philosophy regarding the current state of the Empire's people, she gave a moment to recollect her role in the entire war and reshaping of the world.  The mention of Gods and Endless reminded her of those days not too long passed, and the company with which she had spent it in.  _"I wonder what they are all up to now?"_ she thought out of genuine curiosity, as she sipped her tea.  _"Perhaps once the Capital is restored, I will invite them back to see it in it's proper glory."_

            Placing the cup back on the low table, Ursula rubbed her hands together.  Winter had arrived, and with it, the cold winds and arctic frost.  It wouldn't grow anywhere near as cold in the Capital as it would further north, but the streets would soon be lined with snow and ice, if only for a few months.  Standing, Ursula walked over to the far side of the room where a small fire was crackling, providing her small living quarters with warmth.  She watched with a small fascination as the wood crackled, and as cinders burst forth and died moments later.

            "So much has changed…" she murmured to herself.  Gazing into the fire had rekindled some memories of those that had departed in the Great War with the Alliance, and in the following futile battle against a God.  "So many people lost."

            Ursula's silent reverie of personal introspection was brought to a halt as she heard knocking from the door to her room.  Since Ursula didn't actually live in the Capital, and she was merely overseeing much of the construction, she had been granted a room from a very generous Innkeeper.  The Inn itself was tidy and well kept, and was used by many soldiers as a place of refuge during the night after a long days work at rebuilding.

            Ursula turned to the wooden door.  "Yes, what is it?"

            A soft voice spoke through the door.  "It's me, Captain.  Lieutenant Ling.  May I come in?"

            Ursula nodded, despite the fact that he couldn't see the gesture.  She placed her right hand on her hip.  "You may, Lieutenant."

            The door opened with a slow creak, and the quiet murmur of conversation and laughter from the tavern below filtered into her small room.  The strong yet aged Ling bowed politely to Ursula before shutting the door behind him.  He was covered in dust and mud, and his cheeks were still red from the cold air outside.

            Ursula smiled at his dedication.  "Well, Lieutenant.  What can I do for you?  Would you like some tea?"

            Ling shook his head, and coughed gently into his palm.  "No, no thank you, Captain.  Actually, I'm here to make a report on something."

            Ursula began to poke at her firewood with the metallic poker that was situated next to the small fireplace.  "Okay.  I'm listening."

            "Very well," Ling commented as he began to slowly rub his hands together.  "While we were excavating a small hole no more than a mile south of here, me and my men came into contact with something… strange."

            Ursula continued to poke.  "Continue."

            "It's rather odd.  We were preparing to set in the stone formation for a building, as you know.  But while digging, we hit… well… I don't know what it is."

            Ursula stopped poking, and turned to face her subordinate.  "Lieutenant, you're being awfully vague."

            Ling sighed, twisting his ear lobe absently.  It was a bad habit of his that he had developed a long time ago, and never really made any effort to break.  "I know, I'm sorry, Captain.  It's a strange metallic artifact that is at least twenty feet in diameter, perhaps larger.  It resembles some form of monolith, or obelisk.  I can't really say, since I'm not an expert."

            Ursula gingerly returned the poker to the small rack where she retrieved it from.  "I must say, Lieutenant, this sounds very odd."

            Ling nodded in agreement.

            Ursula began to drum her fingers against her hipbone as she thought about the small bits of information that she had received.  "Well, I suppose I'd better come and take a look before I tell you what to do."

            Ling bowed appreciatively.  "Thank you, Captain.  I appreciate your counsel."

            Ursula nodded.  "Very well then, Lieutenant.  If that is all, then, you may excuse yourself.  I will meet you down in the tavern in a few minutes."

            Ling bowed once more, and gracefully left his Captain's bedchambers.  Ursula sighed to herself once he had left, as she leaned against the wall, staring back out the window once again.  The sight of freshly fallen snow was one that fascinated and pleased Ursula, in a way that she really couldn't describe.  It was almost a nostalgic feeling, as if she had once been surrounded by the beautiful white flakes from the sky at some point in her life.  It was a silly notion, of course, as Ursula had spent the majority of her life living in the southern parts of the Empire, where snow came only for a very short period of time during the year, if at all.

            But even still, she found herself transfixed by it.

            Sighing softly once again to herself, Ursula stood, and walked over to where her gloves were resting on the table.  One thing that Ursula didn't appreciate about snow, however, was the biting cold that came with its presence.  But she had more important things to worry about now, such as this strange obelisk that Ling had mentioned.

            "Never a dull moment," Ursula mused to herself as she began to douse the fire.

*          *          *

            The air outside was just as cruel as Ursula had anticipated it to be.  The initial blast of frosty air once she had stepped outside of the tavern had almost caused the oxygen in her lungs to be expelled in one vaporous breath.  It was a very strange feeling, but she quickly adapted to the much cooler atmosphere, and now she was almost fully adjusted.  Her presence within the city was different than it used to be.  She was almost like a walking celebrity.  Everywhere she went people would look at her in awe or simply ask for her to shake their hand.  It was a gesture that Ursula didn't fully understand or appreciate, but it didn't bother her as they were just fellow citizens who were grateful that peace had at long last been restored.

            Ling and Ursula walked calmly side by side through the shredded streets while four soldiers fell in line behind them.  Ursula appreciatively observed the various different levels of construction, and the diligence of all the workers as they continued to strive to complete as much as they could even though the day itself was waning.  With this level of effort, Chedo would be restored in no time.

            But then something strange began to happen.

            It was subtle at first, but Ursula could feel it the further that they walked from the Inn.  Or rather, that is to say, the closer that they walked towards the obelisk.  Something just didn't seem right to Ursula.  Her dark eyes began to scan her surroundings to make certain that she was merely imagining things, and it certainly appeared that way.  There was nothing other than friendly conversation and work among the peasants, and Ling as well as her other soldiers had by no means shown any indication that they had picked up on whatever vibe it was that was perturbing Ursula's senses.  But this revelation didn't ease Ursula's tension.  There was something wrong – very wrong – but she didn't know what or where it was.

            Perhaps it was simply her heightened battle senses from over the years, or even from being in contact with several of the Endless.  Either way, somehow Ursula found that she was more perceptive than most with regards to ill will floating around in the air.  It was almost like a sixth sense.  But since she had no concrete proof as to what, if anything, was wrong, she couldn't do a thing about it.  So she simply continued to walk in silence with her subordinates while keeping her eyes peeled and on the lookout.

            After walking for what almost seemed like an eternity but was really just a single mile, the small group arrived at the tiny excavation site.  Soldiers had casually barricaded the dig site off, not allowing pedestrians and fellow townsfolk entrance to the hole, but not forcing them to leave if they wished to observe on the side.  The crowd began to murmur in awe and surprise with a sense of pride as Ursula and Ling approached through a long broken street.  Ursula maintained a stoic face of neutrality, as she still couldn't shake the feel of absolute unease.  In fact, the closer they got to the actual dig site itself, the stronger the feeling became.  It was almost beginning to override her senses, as she could've sworn something was going to happen.

            But she had no proof, and there was no point in getting worked up over nothing.

            Ling quickly strode forward as a soldier stepped aside allowing Ursula and the Lieutenant to inspect the recently created crater.  "This way, Captain," he spoke softly.

            Ursula nodded to the soldier who stood at attention for respect of his higher authorities before passing on to the site itself.  Ursula's hands were beginning to desperately try and seek her pistol, but she felt ashamed and angered every time they'd reach, there would be nothing.  The pistol was back in her room at the Inn, and she was seriously regretting that decision.

            Once the pair reached the lip of the crater, Ursula held out her hand to stop Ling.  Ling looked quizzically at her.  "Captain?  What is it?"

            Ursula stared intensely at the unearthed sheen of black metal for a long moment before responding.  Without taking her eyes off of the obelisk, she leaned towards Ling, and then whispered so that no casual observer would hear her words.  "Lieutenant, tell your men to be on their guard."

            Ling blinked, surprised at the seriousness in Ursula's voice.  "Is there—"

            "Just do it, Lieutenant," Ursula cut him off before he could inquire or object.  "I'll not ask again."

            Ling nodded, not wanting to argue with Ursula.  Something had set her off, and put her in a high guard state.  Whatever it was, it must be serious, as Ling trusted and respected Ursula's judgment more than anyone else's.  Ling turned to relay the message quietly to the soldiers standing nearby.

            As he did this, Ursula began to breathe slowly, trying to push down the continuously growing ball of anxiety that was pressing against all of her senses.  Closing her eyes for one brief moment to collect her determination and resolve, she opened them and then began to slide controlled into the crater towards the obelisk.  Ling was only a few moments behind her, but Ursula's attention was completely asphyxiated upon the smooth, black surface.

            Upon reaching the soft, fertile ground, Ursula carefully advanced.  Her eyes darted expertly over the obelisk, quietly analyzing and memorizing it's various features and idiosyncrasies.  Ling was beside her before she even realized that he had descended into the crater with her.  "Well, this is it, Captain," he mumbled, still unsure of what to make of everything.  "Like I said, we were digging, and then we hit this.  That's about all there is to it."

            The crowd of people were gawking at the sight of Ursula inspecting the strange finding, but Ursula paid them no heed.  "I see," was all she commented on Ling's analysis.  Dropping to her knees, Ursula gently traced her index finger along the warm, smooth surface of the obelisk.  Her eyes and mind were still clear and focused, ready to act without a second's notice.  Now that she was actually touching the obelisk itself, the strange premonition was coursing through her very veins.

            "What the…" Ling muttered, stepping back from the obelisk.

            To both of their surprise, the obelisk actually began to pulsate and glow softly at Ursula's touch.  It was a very subtle light, almost as if it was so thin that it didn't even really exist.  A golden ethereal throb that was so dim that the only one's who actually noticed it was Ling and Ursula.  Nonetheless, it was unmistakable, as the light disappeared the moment that Ursula removed her finger from the obelisk.

            Ursula's eyes widened as she heard the voice.  _"I am you.  Come to you.  Come to me.  You.  Me.  We.  Us.  Here.  Not there, but here.  End.  Begin.  Everything.  Take… clean.  Everything… so dirty… go away… the day… today… I am… we are… the day that… the world… here… there… everywhere… died…"_

            Ursula gasped slightly as she stepped back from the obelisk, frightened.  A strange female voice had spoken directly to her mind.  Ursula knew this because she didn't hear the voice with her ears; rather, she simply just knew what it said innately.  It was very frightening having a voice other than one's own inside of one's head.

            "Captain?" Ling asked, concerned for her well being.  "Are you alright?"

            Ursula was quickly back in control of her emotions, and she was scowling at the obelisk.  Whatever this thing was, it was very, very strange.  And more than that, Ursula never wanted to see it or be near it ever again.  She ran a hand absently through her dark purple hair as she turned to face Ling.  "It's late, Lieutenant.  Let us retire for the evening, and then we will report our findings to headquarters."

            Ling blinked, surprised at how sure she seemed of herself despite the strange happenings.  But then, he considered, she had seen many things in her days in service.  Perhaps this wasn't so strange.  "Very well then, Captain.  Shall I have my men quarantine this site from the public?"

            Ursula folded her arms, and looked up at the people staring down at them, who were too far out of earshot to hear what they were saying.  "Yes, that is a good idea.  Let us return to the Inn, Lieutenant."

            Ursula then, without taking a moment to look back at the obelisk, began her ascent to higher ground.  Her desire to reach the broken cobblestone streets was evident in the speed in which she ascended the stone slope.  Shrugging, Ling wasn't far behind.

            What Ursula didn't say then, was how frightened she had been in that single moment.  It was fear that ate at her very core, and seemed to numb away every single other emotion.  Almost to the point that she was no longer the same person.  She had become someone else in that moment when she touched that obelisk, and it frightened her.  Whatever trickery that fate had played in order to make her men find this damned obelisk, Ursula was not having any laughs from it at all.

            Ursula's stoic face was still as expressionless as ever.  "It's too cold," she commented dryly, trying to ease her nerves.

            Somehow, it didn't work.

*          *          *

            Surrounded by the copious jubilation of her fellow soldiers as they sang, drank and ate in the bowels of the tavern, however, Ursula felt her nerves calm significantly.  She contentedly sat at a small wooden table in the corner of the tavern with Ling, watching with a small smile as soldier and peasant alike celebrated the fact that they were alive and all was to be well.  It did much to relieve the stress that the strange obelisk had placed upon her, and reminded her why she was even here in the first place.  The waitresses were quite joyful to serve the rather rambunctious soldiers, happy to have business once again.  The sound of laughter and the clinking of glasses filled the tavern with no objections from the staff whatsoever.

            Ursula sipped her tea silently as she simply observed.  Across the table from her, Ling was casually nursing a large glass of dark ale, and he had a very wistful look in his eyes, a telltale sign that inebriation was sneaking up on him.  Night had long since fallen, and all had retired to their homes or to the Inn.  It was a day of accomplishment and of unwanted surprise in a certain regard, but all was still well for Chedo.

            "So Captain," Ling said, still able to control his tone and speech even under the influence of alcohol, "What do you think about the old stone thing we found?" he asked, rubbing his earlobe.

            Ursula looked down into her cup of tea, considering the entire obelisk situation now that she was once again blessed with rational thought and not some strange form of otherworldly fear that had gripped her a few hours prior.  "I'm not sure, Lieutenant.  I will report the finding to headquarters tomorrow."

            Ling took a long gulp of his brown ale before speaking again.  "What do you think that they'll end up doing with the thing?"

            Ursula shrugged, staring off out the window they sat next to.  "I can't say.  Dig it up and examine it, I'd imagine.  It's got nothing to do with us."

            "Hey, tell me one of those neat stories that you had when you saved the Empire a few months back," Ling joked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

            Ursula smirked at Ling's comment.  "No.  I've told you all the important details already."

            "Captain, you have no idea how to spend a night on the town, do you?" Ling laughed softly.  "It's supposed to be filled with stories and past tales and more stories.  You know, stuff like that."

            Ursula shrugged, smiling.  "Well, not for me.  I'm a private kind of person."

            Ling grinned sheepishly.  "So I've noticed.  Your grandfather raised you well, that he did."

            Ursula's smile faded somewhat at the mention of her recently departed grandfather.  The pain of his loss – the most important person to her in the entire world – was still as fresh as the dirt that covered his grave.  She had not yet fully come to terms with the fact that she would never hear nor see him ever again.  It was a long and grueling journey that she had ahead of her, coming to grips with something like that, but she was still taking her steps everyday.

            Ling's smile slipped.  "Oh, sorry, Captain.  I didn't mean to-"  
            "I know," Ursula interceded, looking back out the window again.  "I know.  Don't worry about it."

            The careless, well-intentioned comment had accidentally killed the atmosphere of pleasantry.  Ling was now quiet and subdued, gazing blankly at the foam that circled his mug of ale, while Ursula watched the snow fall from outside of the window, her expression hollow and morose.  Suddenly, it seemed that the laughter and jubilee of the fellow patrons wasn't as comforting as it was before.  Atop of this, it seemed that Ursula needed sleep.

            The pale purple haired woman turned to Ling.  "Lieutenant, I'm going to bed.  I'll see you in the morning."

            Ling sighed.  "Look, Captain, I really didn't—"

            "I said I know," Ursula insisted as she stood.  "So stop worrying.  I'm just tired.  It's been a long day."

            "Okay, if you say so," Ling mumbled, unconvinced.

            Ursula smiled softly as Ling looked dejectedly away from her.  "It's really okay.  I really am just tired.  That… thing… left me pretty drained."

            Ling nodded numbly.

            "Goodnight, Lieutenant."

            Ling forced a smile.  "Night, Captain."

            Ursula smiled, and turned to walk to her room.

*          *          *

            Ursula closed her eyes gently as she shut the door behind her.  Her entire body felt heavy, as if she weighed a thousand pounds and she was sinking underwater.  The contact and the fear that had coursed through the very fabric of her own existence had sent a strange physical spiral of lethargy through her bones, and now she was aching for sleep.  When Ursula opened her eyes, she was met with a rather surprisingly pleasant sight.

            The soft moonlight lilted in through the single window in her room, creating a very exquisite blend of shadows and effervescent silver light.  The shaft of moonlight was interrupted every few seconds by tiny circular shadows that gently fell, the representation of the snow continuing to fall effortlessly to the ground from the sky above.  Ursula once again found herself under the strange sensation of nostalgia that she had once before, but she couldn't understand it anymore than she could've earlier.  It still made no sense as to why she would have broken, irreparable memories over something that she was certain she had no emotional attachment to, but the quiet and warming reminder of pleasant days long passed was something that she didn't want to push away at that moment.

            Walking slowly over to the window, Ursula began to unbutton her uniform.  Not taking her eyes off of scenery outside of her window on the second floor of the Inn, she managed to remove her purple uniform so that all she was adorned in was her undergarments.  Immediately, she found that it was incredibly cold to be dressed in such a fashion at this time of the year without a fire, so she scrambled to retrieve her sleep attire.  Sighing in content as she donned the soft, white flannel material that encompassed her entire body, she gently removed the flowing white ribbon from the crest of her hair, allowing her long, dark purple hair to cascade down her back like an amethyst waterfall.  Before returning to the window, Ursula lit a thin incense candle, which filled the air with a rich creamy texture that she was rather fond of.

            Her eyes were soft and warm as she sat down next to the window, and simply began to watch.

            _"Is this what peace is?"_ she thought to herself calmly.  _"Is this what we strove for?  To achieve this sense of security and wealth in the happiness of being with those closest to us?  This is a good goal.  This was the right thing to strive for.  Even in the ashes of our former glory, I feel as though we are stronger now than we ever were before."_

            Ursula giggled slightly as she watched a neighborhood boy chase his dog through the streets, calling for it to return home.  _"They say that the Endless makes the world move.  That Dragons and Gods are what this world needs to keep itself from dying.  How could that be true?  Look at how strong and happy we've become.  We only got here because of our final realization that we DON'T need Gods or Dragons.  We shape our own happiness, and our own destinies."_

            Without taking her eyes off the now sleeping city of rebirth, Ursula began to comb her hair softly.  The visage of the woman with her hair down, combing her hair next to the window with the pale moonlight spilling down upon her spoke of untold beauty, that none had ever seen from her before.  She never revealed her soft and innocent side to others, as she had been surrounded by battles and fighting since the day that she had learned to walk.  There never had been another person aside from her grandfather to open up to or relate to, and even he was stained in blood from the many countless lives he had taken throughout the years.

            As it was, there was no one who had ever seen this side of Ursula.  It was a side that many expected existed, as it came with her brief flashes of compassion and kindness.  Aside from her generally apathetic nature and her tactically stoic resolve, there was a side of Ursula that others got to see, if only briefly and occasionally.  She had revealed it to those that she would've called 'comrade', or perhaps even 'friend'.  When Cray, her friend and comrade, had struggled to come to terms with the death of that who was most important to him and the fact that it was on is own hands, Ursula had been the one who was there for him.  Simple words, spoken in a soft tone, but they were enough.  Simply by relating to him, she had shown him that he wasn't alone, and that he had done the right thing, and it was his first step on his path to recovery.

            It had also shown that she cared, and there was a deeper part of her that was nurturing.  A side that Ursula felt was beginning to further and further begin to come out into the open now that the war was over, and the killing was over.  Slowly, little by little.  But it was enough.

            Ursula sighed tiredly as she turned away from the window, and placed the comb back on the dresser from where she had retrieved it.  Stepping away from the gorgeous view of the sleeping city, Ursula made her way over to where her futon was rested upon the ground.  She drew the cotton blanket back, and slipped into the small pocket of warmth and comfort.  After pulling the blanket across herself once again, she rested her head upon the small pillow, and could instantly feel the overwhelming desire to sleep rear its head.  Purposefully pushing all remembrance of the encounter with the strange obelisk out of her mind, Ursula yawned, and gave one last look at the moonlit window.

            "Goodnight, Chedo," she murmured to herself, before closing her eyes, and drifting off to sleep.

*          *          *

            That night, Ursula had a dream.

            Dreams are very strange things.  A surreal experience put beyond words, in that whatever it is that transpires can't ever really be conveyed in simple plain speech, because it is too bizarre and complex to ever escape the confines of our minds.  The mind can touch a dream, feel a dream, and live through a dream, but it cannot ever successfully transform a dream into anything that is communicable to anyone other than the self, such as through a medium like the spoken word.  The events that transpire in dreams can be so random and absolutely bewildering, and yet seem so common and natural, that it defies the logic of common sense.  Such is a dream.  And this one was no different.

            Ursula saw a door.  She knew that she was dreaming, because she felt that intangible extension of an unreality pressing at her from all directions.  She knew that she was real, but at the same time, she had the knowledge that she also wasn't.  She was simply a projection of her mental self.  It wasn't really her.  And, in a similar nature, the reality around her wasn't real, either.  It was merely a construct of her own mind while it slept, unable to control all of the thoughts that raged and coursed through itself.

            The door was made of wood, and the house that it was chiseled into was made of brick.  All around her was forest, and a bright blue sky was nestled gently far above her.  The entire pseudo-substance which made up the fabric of the dream's reality was faded, almost as if the creator of this place had started to ebb away what it had created moments after completing it.  Not really thinking anything at the present time, Ursula simply did what felt natural for the dream.  She opened the door, without any regard as to whose house it was, why she was there, or where the door actually led to.

            _Hey, you can't go here!  This is ours!_

            The door opened, creating a massive creaking noise that would've deafened Ursula, had she ears.  However, since this was a dream, sound was just as intangible as her own thoughts, so the overdramatic sound was lost on her.  The house was completely empty.  In fact, the back end of the house was missing, as it had a generous view of a beautiful coastline, peering down at a cerulean ocean.  Ursula didn't take the time to consider the fact that there was nothing but forest behind the house when she opened the door, but that didn't matter.

            _You can't do this.  I can't do this.  We can't do this.  This.  This this this this.  So let's do something else!_

            Standing in the center of the empty, incomplete house were some people that Ursula recognized.  She couldn't put her finger on exactly who they were, but she could tell that these people were familiar to her.  As to how, that was lost.  One was a tall, well built male, who wore a vest and had a tail.  He had a huge grin on his face, as if he had just said the funniest thing in the entire world.  The other was a thin, short woman.  She was blond, and she had wings on her back.   She also sported a very large grin, as if she was in on the joke that the large male had made.

            _I didn't want it.  I didn't want it at all.  It hurts and the pain and the hurting and the pain and get me out of here and I hate it and no and no and no and I don't want this and take it away and I_

            Ursula just simply stood at the doorway, staring at the two grinning individuals within the incomplete house.  She had no idea what the purpose of this dream was, or even if she was supposed to play a role in it, or if she was supposed to say something at all.  So she simply stood there in the doorway, appraising the two statuettes that hadn't moved nor spoke since she first lain eyes on them.

            "Hey," the big guy finally asserted.  His voice was gruff, yet friendly.  "Did you hear?"

            "No," the woman spoke.  "What is it?"

            "I heard we're all dead!"

            "You don't say!"

            "I just DID say!"

            "Oh!  I get it!"

            _Make it stop I can't take it stop it stop it stop it and it stops and it won't and it stops and the everything I can't hate this and_

            The strange banter that occurred between the two was like listening to perturbed murmuring under the surface of water.  The clarity of normal speech was absent in their comments, yet at the same time every word they said was perfectly understandable to Ursula.  It was a very odd experience, indeed.

The large man crossed his arms.  "Yep!  I sure am funny!  In fact, get this!  We're not only dead, but we've BEEN dead for a long, long time!"

            The blond woman put her hands to her cheeks in mock fright.  Her voice was syrupy sweet, and it grated heavily on Ursula's nerves.  "You don't say!  That IS funny!  How long have we been dead?"

            "That's not the half of it!" the large man ignored the young woman's comment, still staring at Ursula and grinning.  "You see—"

            _Don't don't don't don't don't don't don't don't don't don't I don't want this kill me take me away and kill kill and hurt and it_

            "—it turns out that we never really even existed in the first place!  Ha!  How about that?"

            Ursula found herself turning around.  She had no real control over what it was that her mental embodiment did within her dreams any more than she did over the actual content of the dreams.  So her mind was simply along for the ride, watching as the deranged play continued to carry out it's ultimate goal until the final act, where Ursula would awaken and forget the whole thing, or simply have a strange, surreal afterimage of the events that transpired.  When she turned around, she was facing the woods again, but this time, there were two other people that she could've sworn she recognized.

            Standing on top of a stage crudely constructed of wood and clay that wasn't there when she had first arrived at this strange place, were two entities.  One was a very tall man dressed in long, flowing green robes.  His skin was replaced with fur; he had a long sword at his side, and he sported a very strange and unnerving grin.  To his side, was a strange sight.  Again, it was extremely familiar to Ursula, but once more she simply couldn't place exactly who these strange people were.  This individual was very short.  She appeared to be made exclusively of metal, and her body was fashioned almost to the likeness of a trashcan.  She had a long, flowing red cape attached to her back, and two unblinking mechanical eyes.

            The tall man spoke.  "H, hey!  D, d, did y, you h, h, h, hear?"

            The trashcan person began to laugh, grabbing its belly in some sort of joke that was lost on Ursula.  "No!  You must tell me!"

            The tall man was chuckling, stroking his furry chin.  "It t, turns out t, th, that everything is w, wrong!  We a, a, all ruined everything!"

            _You killed it and took it and burned it and I'll kill you and take you and burn you and die and die and_

            "You don't say!  That is funny!" the trashcan laughed.

            "I n, never s, said it was f, funny," the tall man pointed out, while smirking and stuttering like there was simply no promise of there ever being a tomorrow.

            Ursula found herself unable to tear away from the sight.  In a flash; although it appeared to be as if it were seamless within the dream; the other two individuals from with the misshapen and unfinished cabin appeared on the wooden stage and began to laugh along with the tall man and the trashcan.  Ursula was captivated, and simply unable to move, talk, or really do much of anything other than watch the ridiculous display.

            "Ha ha!" the big, strong man laughed.  "We screwed everything!"

            "We're all going to die!" the woman chimed in.

            "It's our f, f, fault!  W, we n, never r, really existed in th, the first p, place!" the tall man chuckled.

            "And I can't stop laughing!" the trashcan concluded.

            _You are mine I will always be you we are one and I will kill you because I am you_

            Ursula suddenly felt fear unimaginable grab her throat.  It wasn't subtle, and it wasn't fluid like the other actions within her dream.  It wasn't the gradual transformation into a catatonic nightmare, either.  It was a legitimate strangle of fear.  Something had somehow asserted itself into her dreams, and wrapped its cold, icy fingers around her psychological throat, and was beginning to strangle her from the inside.  The false visages of people whom she had once known disappeared, and Ursula crumbled to her knees.  The lazy forest then slipped away, and a cold, desolate reality of nothingness came in its stead.  All around Ursula was nothing other than pure darkness and a freezing chill.

            This wasn't funny anymore.

            This _hurt_.

            "Stop it…" she growled, shutting her eyes and gritting her teeth.  "Stop it!  Make it go away!  It hurts!"

            _You can't leave, because I am you.  I can't leave, because you are me.  So just come to me._

            Ursula frantically shook her head back and forth, and she covered her ears with her gloved hands.  "No!  Shut up!  Go away!  Leave me alone!"

            The strange voice, which had been present from the very genesis of this bizarre dream, was now the only thing that Ursula could actually acknowledge.  It was a strangely muted and distorted female voice.  In fact, despite the impurities of the communication, Ursula could've sworn that it was her own voice speaking to her.

            _But don't!  Come!  Come on!  I want this!  You want this!  Save me!_

            Ursula's eyes opened, and a feral swarm of anger engulfed her soft features as she slammed her fist into what she perceived to be the ground.  "Shut up!  Save yourself!  Leave me out of this!"

            _This?  THIS?!  You don't even know what this IS!!!_

Against the attempted injection of her own will, Ursula felt the reality around her shifting.  A lapse in time-space, and a vile pulsation of tendrils from the far reaches of her own subconscious took a strong grip on her psyche, and pulled her down into the darkness.  The reality around her, the black nothingness, began to bleed away into a smattering of light and tactile texture.  In no less than an instant, she was no longer floating within a void, but manifest within a plane of existence.

            Taking a moment to stand carefully, Ursula surveyed this new world.  It was faded, just like the forest had been, but there was a crispness – a thin fabric of reality – that seemed to be spun around this vision.  Something about this seemed real, even though Ursula still knew that deep down, she was still dreaming.

            As far as Ursula could see, there was snow.  It was calm, and not a single breath of wind blew across the white desolation.  Hills and mountains rose and fell in an intricate web of natural design, but there was nothing other than a blank white sheet that covered the land.  The sky was a brilliant blue, fooling the bright stagnation of winter into feeling more alive than it truly was.

            Ursula felt herself scowl as she heard the voice speak to her once again.

            _This is what you are a part of.  There is no escaping your reality._

            Before she could even take a moment to ponder what this deranged voice was attempting to communicate to her within her latent consciousness, a large shadow was cast over her.  It seemed that everything went from pure white to shade in the blink of an eye, as Ursula suddenly felt very small for some inexplicable reason.  Turning cautiously, her dark eyes widened at the sight that was sprawled before her.  A wretched, monolithic persona of decaying beauty.  It was a sight that Ursula had seen once before, and the last time she had seen it – touched it – it scared her more than anything else in the entire world.

            Standing high above her, looking down at her with some form of otherworldly presence, was the obelisk.  The intricate glyphs were pulsating in tune with the light of the sun that peered down on the snowfield wasteland from above.

            Ursula was unable to tear her eyes away, and she began to wring her gloved hands together nervously.  "What… what is this?  What do you want from me?  Why me?"

            The voice was quick to answer, and it sounded far more coherent than it had previously.  _This is what you seek.  Return to it.  Return to this.  This will take you to your destiny.  Our destiny.  For I am you, as you are me.  Please, Ursula… I beg of you.  Please come to me._

            And then everything went black.

*          *          *

            Pure moonlight mixed with the soft scent of a recently smoked incense candle filled Ursula's senses as she was jarred awake from her slumber.  Swiftly bringing herself into an upright position, she took a moment to shut her eyes tightly and wipe her brow of any gathered sweat that had accumulated itself while she had been in the state of unconsciousness.  Slowly opening her eyes, Ursula sighed, blankly staring out the window that was situated only a few feet from her futon.  Her pupils dilated slowly, still adjusting to the soft light of the moon that peered lazily into her room from high above.  The holy orb had crested the sky, indicating that the night was still long from over.

            Ursula swallowed harshly, her saliva feeling like sawdust on her dry throat.  "My, what a strange dream…" she murmured, still meagerly entranced by the silver moonlight.

            As odd as the occurrence had been, it had defined Ursula with a temporary purpose.  A feeling that came from the deepest bowels of her inner existence, it was a frivolous whisper within her mind.  A strange surety that gave her a momentary asylum of ease from the psychological demons that had pestered and attacked her throughout the last few hours.  Nodding to herself, she knew what it is that she wanted, and what it was that she had to do.

            She had to return to the obelisk.  Now.

            It wasn't a matter of whether it was intelligent or not, it was simply something that she had to do for her own sake.  It was perhaps her curiosity and temporary feel of tactical brevity mixed with her whole unease for the situation.  Or perhaps just the fact that it had frightened her, and she felt there was no other way to conquer that fear other than facing it head on.  But there was another reason, one that she couldn't really explain why or how she had it.  It was as if the obelisk itself was beaconing her to return.  It was that strange sixth sense feeling that she had honed over the years, but it seemed to be working in reverse.

            Most of the time, she would've felt that it would've been foolish to go alone, in the middle of the night, to a strange stone that he already proven to be untrustworthy by mere touch.  However, this strange feeling made it feel as if this was what she had to do.  As if she had been hypnotized by the very lure of the obelisk itself, she felt that there would be no rest, no escaping, and no means of solitude until she finally discovered for herself what it was, once and for all.

            "Well, let's get going…" she muttered to herself as she struggled out of bed.  The feel of lethargy still weighed on her, as she had only woken mere moments ago.  But there was no need to hesitate.  This had to be done.  And it had to be done now.  And there was simply no other way that she could explain it.

            Rubbing her eyes gingerly, Ursula walked over to her dresser, where her uniform was currently resting atop of.  Her bare feet made soft thuds as they contacted the finished wood, the only sounds present in the small room.  The echoing murmur of conversation and laughter from the tavern below had ceased, as all were now tucked in their beds, resting for the day of hard work that awaited them in the morning.  Ursula stopped for a moment in front of the mirror that rested atop of the dresser, and appraised herself.

            Her pale face was calm, and her dark purple, nearly black hair flowed gently down her shoulders and back.  The contrast of her pale beauty with her dark, vibrant hair as she was dressed in her white nightgown gave her almost the strange, eerie visage of a ghost in the pale moonlight.  Ursula smirked to herself as she began to focus on more important matters at hand.  Ursula turned to a small pail of fresh, clean water and began to wash her face and brush her teeth.  The feel of the clean, cool water on her face was more than enough to shake any remnants of quasi-slumber that remained from her mind, and quickly brought her to full attention.

            Ursula turned to her clothes once she finished drying her face.  Quickly shucking her way out of her nightgown, she began to dress in her uniform with practiced speed.  After pulling her dark purple armored vest over her thick, weather conditioned shirt, she began to lace up her boots.  Once her boots had been tied adequately, she reached for her hair ribbon, once again tying her hair into a fashioned ponytail to prevent it from interfering with her vision at a critical moment.  She sighed to herself as she pulled on her gloves, and gave one last appraisal of herself in the mirror.

            Her face was now hard and stern, ready for anything.  A quick glance in her peripheral vision gave her sight of something that immediately grasped her attention.  Lying on the dresser was something that she knew, without even thinking, that she would need this time.

            Her pistol.

            Ursula grabbed the gun, and stuck it in her belt, taking in one long, cleansing breath.  "Okay, no going back.  Time to put an end to this."

            With those words of resolve, and a firm and stoic grip on her emotions and rationale, Ursula quietly slipped out of her room and into the cold, snow covered streets below.

*          *          *

            The slowly recuperating city of Chedo, even in its state of ruin, was still a beautiful sight under the pale moon and a fresh blanket of snow.  The thick flakes fell through the night sky lazily, uninterrupted until they reached their final destination on the ground where they would continue to add to the quarrying beauty of natural wealth.  The sleeping city was quiet, as nary a soul could be seen outside in the cold.  Thoughts of thieves or brigands didn't plague even one soul's mind, as the strength of unity had become so great, that even criminals were working side by side with citizens to restore the land they loved.

            The only sound that night was the soft crunching of snow underneath Ursula's boots as she walked unhindered through the streets and alleys.  She walked alone, with nothing on her mind other than the completion and resolution of the task at hand.  Her eyes were asphyxiated on her goal, and her breathing came in a controlled manner, evident by the gentle vapor that breezed from her mouth and nose with each breath.  Her pistol was at her side, indicating that she was more than ready to destroy any and every threat within the mere blink of an eye if she deemed it necessary.  Truly, nothing could stop her from accomplishing what it was that she had set out to do.

            Once again, she found that the closer she got the obelisk, the feeling of boding and ill will grew intensely.  But situated equidistantly from one another within her own mind, was the same will to put an end to this.  The fact that the obelisk had only responded to her, the way that it seemed to plague her mind and thoughts, the way that she had truly been afraid of what she had seen and experienced, and the perplexing fact that such an artifact was hidden in such a place all ate away at her mind.  She had to relent – she had to know.  She had to find the answers to these questions.  And for some reason, one that even she didn't know the answer to – she had to do it alone.

            "I must be going crazy…" she muttered to herself as she continued to walk.  "Out here on a gut feeling like this.  I hung around those Alliance types for too long."

            Ursula continued to follow the trail towards the obelisk in silence, her soldier's etiquette taking manifestation over her demeanor.  In a small act of minor apprehension, she gradually clenched and unclenched her gloved hands at her side as a means of relieving her partial anxiety.  She continued this small, insignificant act of personal amelioration for the remainder of the relatively short journey, until she finally came upon the dig site itself.

            The site had been quarantined by a crudely constructed fence that was passed only by a single wooden barricade within the center.  There were no peasants or soldiers to be seen guarding the strange obelisk, but Ursula knew that they weren't necessary.  Something inside of her was telling her that it didn't matter who came into contact with the strange metallic object; only _she_ would be able to draw out whatever latent energy was stored within it.  How she knew this was lost even on her, and it frightened her somewhat.  All these strange questions and personal assurances, and their inexplicable appearance was very unsettling.

            It was time to find some answers.

            Ursula sighed as she opened the lock on the barricade.  It was an easy to open lock that anyone with a decent amount of strength could've opened without really batting an eye.  She grunted softly as she lifted the large plank of wood and then slipped quickly underneath it.  She lowered the plank once again, and then closed the barricade behind her quietly, successfully leaving her alone with the unearthed metallic object within the crater.

            Ursula took a moment to ready herself by breathing deeply before she descended back into the crater.  Descent was a bit trickier this time around, as her footing was much looser than before, due to the excess build up of fallen snow.  Bracing herself at each small rock that she would use as footing, Ursula kept her eyes on the ominous black eye at the epicenter of the cavity.  It was almost as if it was watching her every move, analyzing everything she did, and knew everything that she thought, even before she thought it.

            Ursula met the ground with a subdued thump, as she braced her final jump with the palm of her hand.   She was standing over the obelisk, gazing at its smooth, black surface, all alone.  There was no one in the remote vicinity to aid her, should she need help.  No one even knew that she was there at all.

            Except for the obelisk itself, that is.

            Ursula crouched down to her knees to examine the void-like tablet for a moment.  "What are you?" she asked genuinely, after a moment of glancing at the various glyphs.  "You're not like anything I've seen before.   Why can't I stop thinking about you?  Why did you react so strangely when I touched you?"  Ursula paused for a moment, frowning.  "Why do I refer to you as 'you'?  Are you alive?"

            The urge to reach out and touch the strange surface burned inside of Ursula.  It was almost a pseudo-masochistic urge, like she wanted to touch a burning stove even though she knew that it would scald her, regardless.  She remembered what happened when she touched the obelisk previously.  But once again, she was drawn to it, and the memory of the pain and the fear seemed insignificant, being slowly ebbed away by the almost all consuming desire for tactile contact with the object of her psychological crux.

            Unable to resist her own personal taboo by a burning desire within, Ursula slowly reached a timid hand out towards the metal.  The metal pulsated delicately as her hand neared the surface of the object, but Ursula made no movement to stop.  She would have answers, and she would have them now.  On her own terms.  Once Ursula's hand came into contact with the obelisk itself, she felt a soft warmth rush into her very being.  The metal began to glow a golden ethereal hue that gently illuminated the small crater, and poured warmth and comfort into Ursula herself.

            As this happened, Ursula felt her eyes open.  Not in the physical sense, as they were already well aware of what was transpiring.  It was a mental terminology, in that she felt and saw visions cascade behind her eyes.  She could see things, even though they were only within her mind.  The gradually cultivating warmth continued to spread over her entire being, filling her with a sense of peace, and compassion.  She saw gentle pyreflies floating above a still surface of pure water.  She saw grand and archaic forests that spanned as far as she could see, all beaconing with the desire to touch them and smell their ancient scent.

            She saw wastelands.  She saw death.  She saw life.

            The images continued through her very consciousness, the light and warmth from the obelisk never fading or retreating even for a moment.  Ursula had lost the ability to actually see what was directly in front of her, as the images had completely overridden her sense of sight.  She was now completely dwelling with her mind, and although her eyes were open, they were hollow.  Her head tilted back and her mouth opened, but no sound was made.  

            Then the voice spoke to her.

            _You… you finally came._

            Ursula could feel the voice was stronger than it ever had been, as if she was actually standing within the presence of the speaker.  The voice was rich and feminine, and seemed gladdened to be within the company of another sentient entity after many years of slumber.  She could still not actually grasp where the source of the voice was, however.

            _I… I missed you.  You're here, finally.  After all these years.  Now we can be together again._

            The voice's tone suddenly turned from that of overjoyed gratitude, to sorrow and pained retrospection.  With this shift came a shift in the atmosphere of the images that Ursula was being fed.  What once was a tranquil, serene view of events and places that Ursula had no knowledge of transmogrified into fierce, vile countenances of decay and poisonous taint.  Ursula tried to scream, tried to make any means of protest, but found that whatever it was that was speaking to her now had complete dominion over all of her senses.  She was now shackled into a prison within her mind, and no matter how hard she beat at the cage with all her might, there was simply no escaping.  She couldn't make herself speak, scream, or even move.  She was at the mercy of the voice.

            _But now… now the world dies.  Now that we're together, everything ends.  I wish there was another way._

            Ursula tried furiously with all of her might to stop the images and scream at the voice and try to make what she was saying not true, but she couldn't.  It wasn't just a matter of getting away from the fear, but it now _hurt_.  The warmth had turned into burning fire, and Ursula felt as if the very essence of her soul was going to be consumed in flames, and burned into ashes if she didn't escape.

            _Now we leave.  We leave, now.  We will awaken… together… and then we will be one.  Together… so take this… and run as far away as you can…_

            And then it was all gone.  In one determined flash, everything was gone.  The pain was killed away, the visions crumbled, and everything became nothing.  The darkness that then took supremacy over what was once tactile sensation and light began to ebb into a strange mixture of color.  The colors began to fold and break upon themselves, colliding and morphing in a strangely fascinating sense of preternatural fluorescence.  The strange beaconing vortex of color pulled Ursula towards itself, and Ursula couldn't even scream as she no longer had a body with which to act upon.  Her pure, psychological sense was ripped from it's flesh and into the bleeding, writhing vortex, and Ursula felt everything just shatter.

            All of reality crumbled in one instant into a dazzling array of pieces, all indistinguishable from one another in an unfathomable act of realities antithesis.  Ursula didn't feel pain, she didn't feel comfort, and she didn't even feel fear.  She simply felt numb as her perception of what was real was smashed up in front of what she would've considered at that time to be her own self.

            And then there was nothing.

*          *          *

            Eternity is a long time.

            A time which goes beyond a calculative essence of understanding, as the term infinity cannot ever really be understood or profited from.  Space is said to stretch on for all of eternity.  Years which can't be counted or even fathomed live and then die within eternity.  Either way, it is simply impossible for a mortal to ever dwell within the presence of, or simply experience eternity.

            But it certainly felt like an eternity.

            When Ursula's eyes opened, it felt as though she had seen the beginning and then end of time without them.  It felt as if she had always existed as a non-corporeal entity that lived within the very membrane fabric that held dimensions together, never actually interacting or experiencing what it was or meant to be real.  A sudden shift in this lapse from nothingness to manifest crashed into her mind, derailing her current perception of conscious thought.  The feel of once again inhabiting a body was a strange, alien feeling to her, even though she had only possessed one mere seconds ago, she thought, even though it felt like far, far longer.

            "This isn't going at all how I planned…" she muttered in agitation.  Ursula currently lay face down on the soft soil, unaware as to what had just transpired mere moments ago.  Her mind was still desperately attempting to catch up with her.  "Ouch…" she groaned, rubbing her shoulders as she managed to roll on to her back.

            When Ursula's eyes met with the sky, she stopped.  What was a snowy night sky mere moments ago was now something completely different.  The sky was bleak, and desolate, as if it had been scorched by the fires that tore through her body before her propulsion into the unreality of the obelisk.  A putrid orange, gaseous taint filled what Ursula recalled being the sky, with foamy, vaporous clouds sifting through the atmosphere.

            "What the hell?"

            Struggling, Ursula managed to lift herself off of her back and into a sitting position.  Her body felt stiff and sore beyond its years, as if she had never really used it so much in her entire life.  Her bones, her muscles, and her tendons ached with each movement.  "What… what has happened?" she whispered to no one other than herself.

            Cast in front of her, in all directions, was a sea of decimation.  Harsh winds blew through crags of eroded stone, and fields of scorched earth spawned in every visible direction.  What had once been a beautiful green landscape was now nothing more than the rusty, stagnant corpse of its former glory.

            Ursula blinked slowly, hoping that what she was seeing was merely some form of dream.  "Where am I?  What happened to me?  To this place?"

            Her hand never left her shoulder as she just sat in the lame soil, and the cold wind whipped her hair about.  Thin debris and foliage blew about her, and earthly dust latched itself on to her uniform in a last ditch attempt to grab on to something that was actually alive.  Her unblinking eyes continued to gaze slowly in all directions, but she was simply met with more of the same.  Eroded cliffs.  Harsh winds.  Desolate wastelands.

            Ursula felt true hopelessness crash down upon her, as a sickening realization crept into her mind.  The strange obelisk, it's scattered messages, the odd premonitions that had engulfed her entire presence, and the final act in which she had plunged herself into the actual obelisk itself.  All of this filled her with a dreadful epiphany, a sudden realization that made her feel more weak and frail than she appeared.

            The world had died.

*  *  *  *  *

_to be continued_

Ending Theme:  **The Frail, by Nine Inch Nails**


End file.
